The Sounder

I was on two knees,
hands grasping needles
of pine and silt, when
I saw the sun eclipsed
by a primordial silhouette
The sounder entire
had come to me -
boars, sows, and
striped progeny -
descending in numbers
towards the gorge,
and diverging around me
like a pierced rivulet
But the three behind
halted ten feet beyond
with eyes straining,
frantic to reveal me,
and footsteps unsure -
as if suddenly aware
of their penultimate
miscalculation
and pleading
for mercy

- Just another poem about boars. -